Here are some ‘treats’ that I regularly give myself because I ‘deserve’ them:

* An entire block of Parmesan. Not on something, mind you. Just the cheese. Just the brick. I just hold it in my hand and take bites of it like an apple.
* Piles of $5 lady magazines
* Not brushing my teeth before bed (??!!??)

In case you’re keeping track, exactly zero of those things are good for me. In excess, each of those things is pretty detrimental to my physical and emotional well-being.

But here I sit, ‘rewarding’ myself with things that – if I’m not careful – will give me a stomachache, make me feel less-than, and give me cavities.

Ridiculous, right?
And what’s even more ridiculous is that I’m often treating myself after a hard, frustration-filled day. And what am I frustrated about? Oh, you know, feeling less than or drained or urpy.

I am literally engaging in ‘reward’ behavior that will make me feel worse in the long run!

Stop it, self. Stop. It.

I want better for myself. And if you are human and occasionally treat yourself in not-particularly-healthy ways, I rounded up 23 ways we can reward ourselves that don’t involve buying or eating anything.

1. Take a nap
Sleeping is awesome and I bet about 99.7% of us aren’t getting enough of it. Make your nap even more treat-like by changing your pillow case (it gives you that ‘new sheet’ feeling with less work), taking off your bra and spraying a bit of lavender or eucalyptus essential oil onto your pillow.

2. Give yourself a mani or pedi
Add a few drops of essential oil and body wash to a pretty bowl of warm water and soak your extremities while you watch an episode of Broad City. If you don’t have a manicure or pedicure set, push your cuticles back with a wet washcloth. If you’re feeling fancy, exfoliate with a brown sugar body scrub and slick on a few coats of a color you love.

3. Re-read a favorite book
Resist the urge to treat yourself to a new book purchase! Trawl your local library the way you’d trawl a used bookstore or just re-read one of your favorite ‘comfort reading’ books. I’ve been reading a few chapters of this book every morning and I JUST LOVE IT.

4. Take a day off work for no reason at all
And then don’t run a single errand or go to a single appointment! YOU CAN DO IT I HAVE FAITH IN YOU. Use your day off to do awesomely unproductive things: sleep in, make yourself a big pancake breakfast, explore new parts of your neighborhood, Skype with friends in other time zones, write a letter to your Grandma. Nap.

5. Take a hot bath
Add powdered milk. Or flower petals. Or Epsom salts or bubble bath. Turn on your favorite mellow music, light a few candles, and stay in the tub so long you wrinkle and raisin.

6. Have a Netflix movie marathon
Now, this is a personal preference, but I think the best movie marathons are movies that you’ve already seen and/or movies that don’t require rapt attention. You need to be able to fall asleep halfway through or get up and make yourself popcorn! Suggested marathons: The Anne Of Green Gables movies, BBC’s Pride & Prejudice, all the Wes Anderson movies, all the Judd Apatow movies, everything Dolly Parton has ever starred in.

8. Visit a pet shelter
So many snuggles and cuddles! And you don’t have to clean fur off your sofa or worry about that spot on the rug!

9. Take an aimless walk WITHOUT YOUR PHONE
Getting out into nature is lovely and calming and centering. Getting out into nature without the temptation to tweet, update, or Instagram about it is exponentially more lovely, calming, and centering. I’ll do it if you will.

10. Make a DIY face mask
It’s a cliché for a reason, that reason being: it’s awesome. You probably have everything you need for a face mask in your kitchen right now.

11. Go for a drive
Do you live near a body of water or a mountain/bluff/large hill-type thing? Go for a drive near it or on it. It’ll be sweet and relaxing and refreshing. Promise.

12. Watch a Youtube makeup tutorial and experiment
Do you, too, have a whole drawer of lipsticks and bronzers and eyeliners you’re not using? Have a search through Youtube and see if you can find some new ways to use them. Do you know how to contour? Do a real, serious cat eye? I don’t. Let’s learn!

13. Walk near some water with someone you love
Ahhhhhhh. Feel those shoulders come down from around your ears and your blood pressure drop.

14. Devote some time to self-pleasure
AHEM.

15. Go for a nice bike ride
Not to get exercise. Not to pick up some milk or tire out the dog. Ride someplace pretty and scenic and not overrun with other cyclists. Ride at a pace that feels easy and good and notice what’s happening around you.

16. Listen to an awesome podcast
No, but really listen to it. Lay down on the sofa, open your ears and just soak it up. Like everyone else, I love This American Life and Awesome Etiquette.

17. Go window shopping
This is almost as fun as actual shopping. Pack yourself a travel mug of something sip-able and then wander through your city’s swankiest shopping district. Peek into the windows and imagine where, exactly, you’d wear that avant-garde cape that costs $3,000.

19. People watch
One of my all-time favorite activities is watching people and making up stories about them. Second favorite activity: going for ‘house walks’ with my BFF and making up stories about the people who live in said houses.

A few of my favorite people-watching places: the airport, any public transportation hub, any downtown area during lunch hour or after work, flea markets, farmers’ markets, anywhere near a stadium on a big game day.

20. Take time to do your hair and makeup
Even if you’re not going anywhere. Every time I take the 10 minutes required to apply eyeliner and curl my hair I’m floored by how different I look and how confident I feel.

21. Watch a Youtube yoga or dance tutorial
Youtube dance tutorials are The Actual Best And Most Fun. No one ever has to know what you look like when you’re twerking! You can just keep rewinding and re-trying till you either a) get it b) collapse from laughing at yourself.

22. If you already have a gym membership, go there and take advantage of the non-athletic stuff
I mean, you can also go to the gym and work out but I don’t think that’s much of a treat, do you? Does your gym have a sauna? Or a hot tub? Go have a soak or a steam!

23. Shave your legs and put clean sheets on your bed
This is probably the best any of us will ever feel in our entire lives.

P.P.S. Did you know I have a (free) private Facebook group dedicated solely to the topics of money and happiness? And the stuff we talk about has helped members change jobs, save thousands of dollars, and fight less with their partners? Join us!

I got a kick ass electric toothbrush for Christmas, and that really helps with the before-bed oral hygiene routine! Even when my arms are aching from my work as a chef, I can still clean my teeth for 2 minutes. Most of the time anyway!

1. Bake cookies–but only the amount you want to eat before that sugar crash/too-many-cookies problem sets in. A better version of myself will sometimes make a huge batch of dough and then freeze un-baked cookies for later (just scoop and place on a tray with some parchment and stick the whole thing in the freezer, then transfer to a plastic bag when solid; add maybe a minute to the baking time, and they’ll keep several weeks in the freezer.)
2. Make a really good coffee at home. Steam the milk and all that, or make your own chai.
3.Coloring books! Or any kind of art you love. I am partial to finger painting.
4. Driving some place just to sing REALLY loudly in the car.
5. Move the furniture around or re-arange some art or put pictures in frames and on the wall. Oddly, this can be really refreshing, particularly if you feel in a rut.
6. Games–video or board games with a friend–something fun and low-stakes that makes you actually look at people, not a screen.
7. Listen to an actual album or record in its entirety in one sitting. I love doing this with pieces of classical music while walking, jazz albums, or older music by bands I used to love but haven’t revisited in a while. Instant nostalgia trip. Something about settling in for the whole musical piece is a nice break from playlists.

Sometimes taking time to organize something you “wish” you had time for….that makeup drawer, my sock bin, medicine cabinet, etc. It can even be a bigger project like tackling a whole closet while blasting the said favorites playlist.

I tried yarn bombing once. Removing it was one of the worst experiences in my life. Turns out it actually creates a horrifying breeding ground for earwigs and other such creepy crawly things. So if you like earwigs……
Otherwise, I wouldn’t advise it.

Spread out your hand and lay it on your chest just below your collarbone, skin against skin. Close your eyes and hold it there, taking 2 or 3 deep breaths. It’s just like giving yourself a hug – very calming and anxiety-lowering.

Try doing absolutely nothing for an entire day. This will turn out to be the hardest thing you’ve ever done. (Hint: it’s actually “meditation”, but doesn’t necessarily require sitting, simply not doing anything that has a “goal” or a product or a destination.

Do nothing for a whole day.
Sit in the park with the sun on your back, especially fine in spring after weeks of cold & damp. Sit on the grass with your feet on the bench. Doze off.
Doodle
Verbal doodle, scrawl down words and word combinations. Try to use the first 3 hrs production to actually write sentences or even move to a nonsense story.
Doze off
Talk to someone & LISTEN. Old people, like me, have stories.
Remember the people you have bedded and in your mind, write them a letter.

Spending time with the family on xmas,someone didn’t have to Die to see them.I have AWESOME NIECES AND NEPHEW,LOVE TO SEE HOW THEY HAVE GROWN,Act together and be silly.Just like when we were there age.And of course all the rest ,Sister, Brothers etc.GRANDSON OF CORSE.We are a fun bunch.FAMILY THAT’S THE LIFE.OH LETS NOT FORGET THE FOUR LEGGED ONES.RUFF,MEOW.Have a great day.

I hate to be Debbie Downer, but most shelters prefer that you not come in just to catch some snuggles from the animals. These recreational showings tend to stress the animals out (in an already stressful environment), exposes them to possible illness, and uses up valuable shelter resources that might otherwise be spent getting those same animals adopted.

Instead, volunteer at your local shelter–you’ll do some animals a great turn, get some exercise (dog walking) and get your cuddles.

Our local animal resource center actually encourages visitors to come in and spend time socializing the animals. This type of casual visitation allows the animals to interact with a lot of different types of people at different times of day.

There’s a cat room at my local shelter where they love to have people drop in and socialize them. They also love it when you drop by and take a dog for a walk. I understand what you’re saying, but some shelters are set up specifically to accommodate drop-ins with the pets that need those kinds of interactions. Best to do a little research before you decide what’s good or bad for shelter pets.

Or better, what I do often (yay for having a small chest – though you can also with bigger breasts, but some people find it uncomfortable and stupid boys/men might stare esp. in America, here in Europe, not so many people care tbh), not wear a bra at all! Best. Feeling. Ever. And besides, screw society, I like them free if that means they can’t be antigravity perky then so be it. haha.

I love not wearing a bra. I’m going to try it more often now that I’m retired. It should be interesting, esp. since one breast is much smaller than the other due to breast cancer. Glad to be alive though.

Clean out a drawer or two in your dresser. Toss old t-shirts and socks, refold clothes you love, and donate things you don’t wear anyore. It was a huge treat to open that drawer later and find everything organized and de-cluttered! It gave me a sense of peace and accomplishment all at once.

Getting back into bed around 1pm, with a mug of coffee, a few cookies and a really good book is my idea of heaven, and my ultimate treat. I don’t seem to get around to doing it as much as I’d like, which makes the once or twice a month I do get to do it, feel really special and luxurious. 🙂
See also, taking a book to a nice coffee shop that does nice drinks and even better cheese toasties.
Also, drinking a tasty soup in front of the latest episode of Downton Abbey.

Totally agree on taking a book to the coffee shop! I like to do work in coffee shops sometimes, too, but some of the best places discourage working – spending an hour reading over a fancy drink feels super luxurious.

On a nice day, I like to pick up a bubble tea and take my book to the park instead – it reminds me of lazy summer days reading in the backyard as a kid.

I absolutely love this list because I’m SO guilty of using food and purchases as “treats.” Now that I’m about 10 pounds over weight and $2k over budget because of car problems, those aren’t really options right now…

I will say, YOU CANNOT JUST “GO VISIT” AN ANIMAL SHELTER. That’s how you walk away with a dog. I know this, because it happened to me. Danger, Will Robinson, danger! Maybe consider actually volunteering instead 🙂

[…] 23 Ways to Treat Yo’ Self Without Buying or Eating Anything: I don’t know about you, but when I want to treat myself, I generally do turn to food, an indulgent drink or shopping, so I really loved Sarah’s list of ways to treat yo’ self without doing those things. […]

I would like to think a bubble bath sounds like a good treat, but given I need a grab-bar and my apartments will not give me one, it makes for showers only for now. I just started treating myself to Red Box and Netflix and flowers every other week. Not very expensive and they live two weeks. I liked the book and music idea and will add those. Walking is not fun for me due to health issues, so wouldn’t be a treat. I do take naps, I’m glad to know I can consider that one of my rewards for completing my day the way I had planned.

Find an awesome new book without wasting money. Your handy-dandy local library probably has an app that will let you read your choice from hundreds of books on your tablet. Or, of course, you could go in person.

The only thing about this is that you have to return the book, sometimes before you’ve read the whole thing. I don’t know why but it weighs on my mind–“I have to return that book, I have to return that book”–and it becomes such a hassle that I would much prefer just to download the thing to my Kindle and read it at my leisure. I bookmarked the bargain Kindles link and they often have good books for under $4. I just bought Neil Gaiman’s “Neverwhere” for 1.99.

Hellll yeah Sarah! These are super awesome.
Most of my “treat yourself” moments tend to involve buying myself fancy coffee or bath products l, so I really needed this list!
I’m going to add: put on some comfy but cute sweatpants and a hoodie. Put the hood up. Lay on grass in the sunshine with a book. Or if it’s cold out, sit near a window with a warm pet and read a book.

Man, at this point in my life none of these are possible. Bath??? I tried to take a shower the other night and The baby tried to play with the toilet brush, tried to dive into the toilet, and then tried to join me in the shower, fully clothed, with a dog we had visiting.

I do the exact same thing! “I’m so awesome for exercising every day this week. I’m going to stop at Krispy Kreme for a reward–wait! That will ruin all of my hard work–I’ll just buy some new booties, instead!” SMH …

I love this post and was just trying to think of ways to treat my wife without buying something or getting her chocolate when we’ve just started shredding it with Jillian Michaels in the regular.

One more idea: we are NOT health freaks, so one thing that I have recently discovered is really relaxing, yet beneficial, is chopping veggies. Cabbage is so darn satisfying!!! You think it’s going to be hard, like squash, but it’s super easy and looks like confetti and great in stir fry or soup.

I also like chopping cucumbers and celery – carrots are just not as relaxing because I have to pay more attention, but a 20 minute chop session and I’ve got veggies for our lunches/snacks and my mind has wondered and I feel alive again.

Can I politely recommend altering #8. Pet shelters aren’t puppy video arcades for recreation and amusement. The animals at the shelters have feelings, and many have been there for weeks, some months, some even years. Receiving a few moments of attention and then being passed on is traumatic and leads some animals in the shelter to sincere depression. Shelters shouldn’t be treated as half-hour rent-a-puppies to play with and then move on. Might I suggest, if not outright removing #8, altering it to “Volunteer at a pet shelter.”

Thank you Mat for that comment. As a long time animal shelter volunteer though I will have to say that it was never relaxing..actually quite stressful.

My favorite treat is sitting out in my backyard with my cats & enjoying the sunshine. Another suggestion is writing an actual letter to a friend or relative. Starting a small herb garden or other gardening is also therapeutic.

Great suggestions y’all. I also get a kick out of getting rid of some of the junk I’ve collected. Even getting rid of one useless dust collector can seem like a step in the right direction, or a good excuse to shop again.

[…] and sometimes we search our kids piggy banks at night. don’t judge me just laugh with me. i love this list!, except for #14 it’s just not my thing, i apologize in advance, so replace that with send […]

One of my favorite things to do is service. yesterday we got to donate some items to a homeless shelter. I took my kids with me and they got to understand that some kids aren’t as blessed with more then enough clothes and a warm place to sleep. It warmed my heart that they were so willing to give and I felt extra grateful for my blessings.

[…] about what to do for YOURSELF… so just as important in the Parenting Toolbox in my opinion! 23 Ways to Treat Yo’ self Without Buying or Eating Anything from Yes and Yes #1, 4, 5, 6! What are your favs on this […]

[…] recently came across an AWESOME blog post on 23 Ways to Treat Yo’ Self Without Buying or Eating Anything, and loved every word we read. Rewarding yourself is great. It can keep you motivated, help you […]

[…] kids are in bed, or planning a weekly or monthly date night with your spouse. You could even use this list of 23 ways to treat yourself without eating or shopping! Once you set-up routines for indulgences you will always have something to look forward to and to […]

[…] 23 Ways to Treat Yo’ Self Without Buying or Eating Anything I am all about “treat yo self days” (thanks Parks and Rec), but it’s hard to come up with ideas that don’t cost money. These are good ones. […]

[…] to be kind to myself for the duration and, encouraged by a post sofagirl forwarded to me titled “23 ways to treat yourself without buying anything”, I do something good for myself everyday. Here is what I have so […]

I was actually nodding as I was reading the last one like “oh yeah I´m gonna do that tonight, that´s my favorite” and then you write “This is probably the best any of us will ever feel in our entire lives.” and I cracked up laughing. Love all of these items on this list, thanks lady!

[…] This momentous moment, however, does not create cause for buying another new shirt. Instead, find new ways of rewarding yourself that don’t include buying things, like taking a day off work for no reason. And when you […]

[…] Feeling like you need a reward for making it through the two hardest days of the week (Monday and Second Monday aka Tuesday…;))? Here are 23 ways to treat yourself that don’t cost money and aren’t food-related. Becaus… […]

The first paragraph of this article made me laugh so hard that I had to read it out loud to my husband…well, try to read it out loud because by the time I got to the toothbrushing part (my favorite) I was nearly in laugh-tears. Thank you for the funny start to my day — Love the tips and looking forward to exploring the rest of your site!

I especially love the visit a free museum suggestion, something that I should absolutely do more often as I LIVE IN DC! There (obviously) so many free museums here, and all of them are amazing. I’m going to work on seeing more throughout the spring and summer.

I’d also add plucking my eyebrows which brings me a feeling of total renewal (similar to shaving) and watching culinary videos on YouTube (like ‘Laura in the kitchen’).
By the way, today I have a day off for no reason and I was going to change my sheets – and then I read this article! Thank you very much!

Oh wow, this is a good list! My favorite is to re-read a fab book (A Winters Tale, Born To Run, Blood Bones Butter, State of Grace…), or a movie (The Proposal) and popcorn. Here’s my fav recipe: date sugar, powdered sea salt and chipotle powder. So good!

Another treat I like to give myself is doing an oil treatment for my hair. I will admit I do typically buy mine, but there are homemade recipes that you can do either for over night or for a set amount of time. If I’m really looking for something thick to leave in all night I use this all natural product http://www.zayedellaessentials.com/beard-products.html and just sleep with a towel on my pillow. I shampoo twice the next morning but usually the amazing smell still stays and I love all the repairing it does to my hair. Definitely a treat.

Amazingly enough, I already do a lot of the things on your list! Thanks for sharing, I gleaned a couple of new ideas. Such as Watch a Youtube makeup tutorial and experiment and People watch. I like the part about making up stories while people watching. Is that more fun with a friend?

Love this list! My treat is sitting down and reading a book I haven’t had time for otherwise, or making new jewelry for myself (I sell handmade jewelry). I also love trying to baked goods recipes! Someone said they like baking and sharing it at work – I share with our gaming group every Friday night =) And honestly, though two years ago I never would have thought I’d enjoy this, getting up to work out before anyone else is awake. Working out when the family is awake is a pain because everyone’s asking you for something (I still do it, committed to daily workouts one way or another).

[…] of things to reward yourself with that are not food or costly. Be warned, it is quite am American list. My favourites are re-reading old books, watching YouTube make-up tutorials (have researchers […]

Yeah, I think breaking that seemingly subconscious link many of us have between having fun and spending money is a key part of living below one’s means. Having fun does not equal spending money! Experiment: think of the most fun times you’ve had in the past 5 years. I’d bet the reason these experiences were fun had to do with being with friends and family, not spending money, per se, right? 🙂

[…] Treat yo’ self. Within your long-term goal, create smaller short-term goals with rewards. Spend a whole Sunday vegging, visit that free museum you always wanted to or have a spa day at home. Your imagination is your limit, but if you get stuck here are some ideas. […]

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